But huge numbers of Brits aren't so reticent, with more than a
million people signing a petition to block the American
president's upcoming State Visit.

Trump's decision to block immigration from seven Muslim majority
countries and suspend America's refugee program has caused
serious alarm in the US, with emergency protests erupting across
the country. The nation's tech industry has also spoken out, with
companies from Google to Airbnb
pledging money or aid to those potentially affected.

And some in the UK tech industry aren't staying quiet either.

'A very dark and worrying time'

TransferWise, a buzzy London-headquartered money-transfer
startup, denounced the executive order in a memo sent to
employees over the weekend obtained by Business Insider, and
pledged support to any employees who might be affected. It said
(emphasis ours):

"We've seen some incredible scenes from the US overnight.

"I think everyone knows my views on immigration and how important
it is to both a company's and a national economy's growth and
innovation.

"To be very clear, we do not support this policy from President
Trump. If it affects any of our team, we will do anything and
everything we can to help.

"In a very dark and worrying time, to see the immediate
reaction of real people from the lawyers to the protesters in the
airports has been incredible. I hope that's something we
can all take inspiration from."

In an emailed statement, CEO and cofounder Taavet Hinrikus said:
"The impact of this decision is deeply worrying. Immigration is
key for innovation and for economic growth. Hearing the immediate
impact on those caught up personally in it right now is deeply
distressing."

'This ban is indefensible from any angle'

Despite this exemption, there are still concerns that it could
have a material impact on some British businesses.

TechUK, a trade industry body for the UK technology ecosystem,
provided a fairly cautious comment, writing: "We will continue to
follow ongoing developments and companies should monitor advice
issued by the Foreign Office. Tech companies will want to prevent
a damaging impact on people in their companies, and on the cost
of conducting international business more generally.

"The movement of the skilled talent around the world drives the
creation of innovative products and services, and in turn has
been a key part of both the US and the UK’s tech success of
recent years." (A spokesperson declined to answer a request for
clarification as to whether TechUK condemns the executive
action.)

One London startup CEO that Business Insider spoke to was more
forthright, saying they're considering scrapping plans to
relocate their business to the US as a result.

"I think there was an inevitability in technology that you had to
go West. Silicon Valley is the technology equivalent of the Great
Attractor. Funding, exit opportunities, ecosystem etc the
opportunities there are unmatched. A Trump presidency would have
made an impact but my expectation was that it could have been
business as usual for the tech industry. The events of the last
week challenged this belief," they said.

"Now about 20% of candidates that we are assessing could fall
into a ban (unclear as it changes hourly). Right now I’m being
forced to choose between talent and location and frankly Silicon
Valley is no longer a priority as a result."

They added: "I echo the sentiment from the CEO of Box, this ban
[is] indefensible from any angle: moral, economical, safety-wise.
My concern is about the disruption of independence between
executive, judiciary and legislative."

Joséphine Goube, CEO of Techfugees — an organisation that tries
to find tech solution to help refugees — predicted it could see
more businesses operate overseas offices. "In terms of UK
businesses' hiring and strategies, it is likely we will see again
TLA & other tech leaders expressing their opposition in the
press but without real impact in changing May's agenda," she
wrote in an email.

"What's likely to concretely happen is that the tech sector, an
industry well tuned to having teams working online and abroad,
will do more of this (think of TransferWise or Azimo who have
offices in Eastern Europe for their tech teams), if not full
relocations in European countries as London's offices costs &
salaries are becoming way too high compared to other capitals."

'Let the new administration settle down'

Brent
Hoberman.Reuters/Luke
MacGregor

Brent Hoberman, cofounder of Lastminute.com who has gone on to
launch startup incubator Founders Factory, said that the tech
industry, with its heavy use of skilled immigrant labour, is "an
industry that is absolutely built on being open rather than being
closed." The executive order could actually be an "opportunity"
for the British ecosystem in the "global war around talent," he
said — as long as we "fix our own rhetoric around Brexit."

Harry Briggs, from BGF Ventures, echoed this sentiment. "The tech
companies in Silicon Valley and New York are waking up to the
fact that, with a stroke of Trump's erratic pen, their key
employees, even those with Green cards, can suddenly be barred
from returning to their country," he said in an emailed
statement.

"So this should make London (and Toronto, and Berlin) much more
attractive places for tech businesses. Apple, Google, Facebook
and Amazon already employ thousands of their engineers here.
Trump's actions will likely accelerate that trend. "

Laurence Garrett, a partner at Highland Europe, was expressed far
less alarm than others in the industry. In an emailed statement,
he said: "I am sure that UK and European businesses operating in
the USA will be able to navigate the new Trump immigration laws.
It's early days so our advice to our portfolio, many operating in
USA is to let the new administration settle down."

'Values matter in everything'

Ali Parsa, a British-Iranian entrepeneur and cofounder of medical
tech company Babylon Health, sent a memo to his team and other
contacts when the executive order came out attacking it as
"abhorrent." He wrote (emphasis ours):

"I have been lucky: I have lived in developed countries and in
emerging countries; I have been a native and an immigrant; I have
habited among the poor and the rich. But it doesn’t matter where
I was, what I have been or who I have been with, people alway
seem to have the same dreams, just different opportunities. The
US stood for a promise to give the opportunity to live that
dream. That promise attracted the best talents from far and wide,
and made America amongst the most prosperous in the world.
We judge people by the humanity of their hearts, the
ambition of their dreams, the purpose of their hard work, and the
extent of their wisdom and not by the country of their birth.
Anything else is economically shortsighted, politically divisive,
and socially abhorrent. Values matter in everything,
including our national security and prosperity."

'It's f--king boneheaded'

Some London investors have spoken out against the executive
order. In an email, 500startups partner Matt Lerner said he was
"scared" and "angry," and cited the impact refugees have had on
the American economy. "It’s fucking bone-headed. First of all,
it’s cruel and inhumane to turn away refugees and lawful
permanent residents suddenly with no warning. From an economic
standpoint, it’s counter-productive," he wrote.

"Immigrants, from Andrew Carnegie to Andy Grove, have powered
innovation and created millions of jobs throughout American
history. That’s why we have offices in 20 countries, including
muslim countries like Turkey, Bahrain and Malaysia - we want to
find the world’s best entrepreneurs, wherever they are."

On Sunday, Eileen Burbidge, a prominent London-based (American)
venture capital investor and member of the Prime Minister's
Advisory Group and chair of Tech City UK, tweeted:
"been Stateside since Wednesday and I can't believe what's
happening here... how much more has to happen b4 impeachment
proceedings, please?"

In a message, she praised the demonstrations across America
protesting the order. "Being in the States these last few days
has given me a firsthand view of how tremendously people have
rallied to exercise their first amendment rights in expressing
their objections to this unlawful, unconstitutional and unethical
order -- and seeing that gives me hope," she wrote. "It reminds
me that we each have a voice and our collective voices can make a
difference. It also reminds me that silence can be deafening, so
I hope people and leaders all around the world will continue to
make their views known whatever those may be."

Hussein Kanji, a partner at Hoxton Ventures, said in a phone call
that it "feeds the other side," a reference to concerns raised by
Senator John McCain and others that the order will aid Islamic
State. And putting aside the politics, he said, it was "very
clumsily implemented," citing the confusion around who is and
isn't banned.

'Human rights abuses'

Jim Killock, executive director for digital rights organisation
Open Rights Group, attacked the British government as being
complicit in the ban. "Britain cannot condemn the ban on Muslims
entering the US if we are providing the data being used to vet
them," he said in an emailed statement.

"MPs who voted for the Investigatory Powers Act need to ask if
themselves if this is what they wanted when they endorsed bulk
data collection last year. We urge the UK government to
immediately legislate to place safeguards and limit raw data
sharing with the US so that it cannot used to commit human rights
abuses."

This story is being updated with more comments as they come
in. If you work for a European startup, we want to hear from you.
What do you think about the executive order? Might it affect you?
Get in touch: rprice@businessinsider.com